How Apple Segregates Humanity

The world is made up of many faces. The rich and poor, the haves and have-nots, the masses of poor and uneducated, and the well-heeled elite.

As much as those in political power claim to want to provide opportunities of wealth and prosperity to those who do not have, the world is more divided than ever, and Apple shares in that segregation of the haves and have nots. That’s one way to look at it.

The Aspirational Brand

Across the board, Apple’s products are premium brands which usually command a higher price tag than competing products.

Run down the line of products and what do you see? Mac, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Apple TV, Apple Stores. Premium priced premium products; the highly cultivated walled garden Disney World of technology gadgets.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world gets by with various and sundry products of nominal value and worth, with lower prices, all of which, when compared to Apple’s premium brands, further segregates humanity.

Truly, Apple is the premium brand for those who can afford premium products. The Mac may have started life as ‘the computer for the rest of us‘ but that better describes Windows PC and Android smartphones than it does Apple.

Economically, socially, and technologically, the world is a highly divided place, one where the new age Golden Rule applies. Those with the gold get to make the rules and rule over everyone else.

That’s one way to look at it.

While Apple may perpetuate humankind’s divisions, it is not the cause. Instead, Apple has become an aspirational brand for the masses; the technology brand that those with lesser means aspire to own.

Aspirational branding is not new. We see it with clothing, furniture, housing, food, jewelry, automobiles, education, and travel. The great unwashed masses of humanity aspire to something better. Can one argue that Apple’s premium products further segregate humankind?

Yes. But so what? Humans are diverse creatures who thrive on hope and aspire to a more enjoyable future. That’s what Apple provides.

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About Bambi Brannan

I work in public relations in San Francisco, California. I truly love my Mac, my iPhone, my husband, both of my pet fish, high heels, dinner out, and chocolate. Not always in that order, of course. Read more of my articles here.

I think you are exaggerating the Apple segregation a bit. Yes, Apple prices tend to be higher. However, there are phones from Samsung and others that cost as much or more than iPhones do. There are laptops that cost more than MacBooks do. The point is that Apple has made these products really useful and safe to use.

In the US over 40% of the smart phones sold are iPhones. If you travel much you notice that on airplanes and in most coffee shops the MacBooks and iPads far outnumber Windows and Android machines.

My point is that if we get distracted by some of these notions then we can miss seeing what is really going on at Apple.

Most people would be hard pressed to come up with a smartphone model that costs more than a comparably equipped iPhone. The same holds true for PCs. There may be some that have a price tag higher than a Mac– feature for feature or otherwise– but they sell in tiny numbers compared to Apple’s products. Apple owns the premium end of the market; largest marketshare, most profit. Nobody else competes well in the premium sector. Not Samsung, not Windows.

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